This weeks journal prompt dealt with goals, both short term and long term. You were to have thought out what it is that you hope to accomplish not only this semester but also to start laying out a plan for your future.
Take a moment to think about the goals that you have set for yourself and share here which one is the most important to you.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
CSI King/Drew
Hey it works!
THis week we are trying out the use of internal TV system to broadcast lectures and lessons originating from the Oral Arts room. (If you are unaware of our school this is a small auditorium that holds about 120 people.) The plan is to give the students a background in what goes into the investigation of crimes through the use of science.
So far so good!
The feed back from the classrooms has been positive. They are happy to at least have a view of the proceedings and be able to contribute (albeit via the phone). For once the technology is being used for a positive effecthere at the school.
We also need to send a big thank you to the National Library of Medicine for helping to arrange for our keynote speaker, Mr. Kirk Bloodworth. His compelling story about going to jail for a murder/rape he didn't committ and sitting on death row for nearly 20 years before finally being cleared is going to play strongly here on Wednesday. If you aren't familiar with his story he is the first person to ever be exonerated of a crime through the means of DNA. His story can be read in the book by Tim Junkins: Bloodsworth: The True Story of One Man's Triumph over Injustice
Hopefully the rest of the week goes as well as the first day.
THis week we are trying out the use of internal TV system to broadcast lectures and lessons originating from the Oral Arts room. (If you are unaware of our school this is a small auditorium that holds about 120 people.) The plan is to give the students a background in what goes into the investigation of crimes through the use of science.
So far so good!
The feed back from the classrooms has been positive. They are happy to at least have a view of the proceedings and be able to contribute (albeit via the phone). For once the technology is being used for a positive effecthere at the school.
We also need to send a big thank you to the National Library of Medicine for helping to arrange for our keynote speaker, Mr. Kirk Bloodworth. His compelling story about going to jail for a murder/rape he didn't committ and sitting on death row for nearly 20 years before finally being cleared is going to play strongly here on Wednesday. If you aren't familiar with his story he is the first person to ever be exonerated of a crime through the means of DNA. His story can be read in the book by Tim Junkins: Bloodsworth: The True Story of One Man's Triumph over Injustice
Hopefully the rest of the week goes as well as the first day.
Friday, May 14, 2010
School THeft
Another theft on campus this past weekend. THis time it was from my office in an area where there are only three keys to access the room. Hmmm.
It's bad enough that we are trying to run a technology program on a shoestring budget, but when the people we are trying to help most keep cutting those shoestrings it makes it even harder to turn out qualified and motivated scholars.
The chance to actually catch someone walking off with the schools equipment is basically nil. The criminal would have to literally walk up to a person and tell them that they are in the process of ripping off the school to be able to catch someone. This is with a camera system in place to catch would be individuals.
The problem we have is that the cameras are working but they have no way to record what they see. We had actually approved funding to replace the old and broken VCR's a few years ago but someone in the administration decided that the expense wasn't worth it. So the savings of a couple of thousand dollars a few years ago has now cost the school close to $50,000 in lost technology since the summer of 2009!
It is so bad now we are recommending that the teachers not leave any personal equipment in their classrooms, even locked in closets, due to the fact the safety of these items is in question. School owned equipment has been recommneded to be kept in the school vault. In other words, if it isn't nailed down get it out of your classroom or office because if you don't there is a strong chance it wont be there the next day.
Sad times and I'm worried they are only going to get worse.
It's bad enough that we are trying to run a technology program on a shoestring budget, but when the people we are trying to help most keep cutting those shoestrings it makes it even harder to turn out qualified and motivated scholars.
The chance to actually catch someone walking off with the schools equipment is basically nil. The criminal would have to literally walk up to a person and tell them that they are in the process of ripping off the school to be able to catch someone. This is with a camera system in place to catch would be individuals.
The problem we have is that the cameras are working but they have no way to record what they see. We had actually approved funding to replace the old and broken VCR's a few years ago but someone in the administration decided that the expense wasn't worth it. So the savings of a couple of thousand dollars a few years ago has now cost the school close to $50,000 in lost technology since the summer of 2009!
It is so bad now we are recommending that the teachers not leave any personal equipment in their classrooms, even locked in closets, due to the fact the safety of these items is in question. School owned equipment has been recommneded to be kept in the school vault. In other words, if it isn't nailed down get it out of your classroom or office because if you don't there is a strong chance it wont be there the next day.
Sad times and I'm worried they are only going to get worse.
Friday, March 13, 2009
K/D needs a 501(c)3
I've been at King Drew Medical Magnet High School now for over 10 years. In that time the funding for new technology has been very hit and miss.
6 years ago when the state was flush with cash we had the opportunity to write the DHS grant that provided us with a large infusion of cash for both technology and the training needed to use it. It was hoped at the time of that grant that there would be additional funding coming from the state to cover upgrades to the technology along with the additional training needs. Of course, soon after the grant ran out the state started to have financial problems and the money dried up.
Our school still has to find ways to meet the needs of our students from a technology standpoint. As an inner-city school it is too easy for them to fall behind schools and students who are more affluent.
For instance, most of the private schools on the "Westside" have outfitted all of their classrooms with "SmartBoards" and provided the training that goes into using them effectively. K/D, on the other hand, has just one of these devices and it is protected by the instructor, whose classroom it is in, like a momma bear protecting her cub. No one can get near it and it is rarely used for fear that something will go wrong.
With the state budget fiasco there is little hope that we will be getting any large chunks of funding any time in the near future. We as an organization need to start looking to seek out our own sources of external funding. This brings me to the need of forming a non-profit organiztion that will raise money for projects here at the school.
As an inner-city school we are in a prime position to take advantage of the many agencies and other organiztions that are offering to fund projects at schools. Most of them will not give a a hint of a look without the 501(c)3 status.
We need some parents to step forward to help setup this entity and to manage it!
Only then can myself and other members of the staff start the process of writing grant proposals that will have a ligitimate chance of being approved and funded. In this competitive world it is imperative that we all are part of this process, but as a teacher there is only so much we can do.
What sets apart the well-funded successful schools from others is the level of involvement of its parents. Now more than ever we need the parents of the King Drew students to step forward and take the lead on organizing a 501(c)3 for the school.
6 years ago when the state was flush with cash we had the opportunity to write the DHS grant that provided us with a large infusion of cash for both technology and the training needed to use it. It was hoped at the time of that grant that there would be additional funding coming from the state to cover upgrades to the technology along with the additional training needs. Of course, soon after the grant ran out the state started to have financial problems and the money dried up.
Our school still has to find ways to meet the needs of our students from a technology standpoint. As an inner-city school it is too easy for them to fall behind schools and students who are more affluent.
For instance, most of the private schools on the "Westside" have outfitted all of their classrooms with "SmartBoards" and provided the training that goes into using them effectively. K/D, on the other hand, has just one of these devices and it is protected by the instructor, whose classroom it is in, like a momma bear protecting her cub. No one can get near it and it is rarely used for fear that something will go wrong.
With the state budget fiasco there is little hope that we will be getting any large chunks of funding any time in the near future. We as an organization need to start looking to seek out our own sources of external funding. This brings me to the need of forming a non-profit organiztion that will raise money for projects here at the school.
As an inner-city school we are in a prime position to take advantage of the many agencies and other organiztions that are offering to fund projects at schools. Most of them will not give a a hint of a look without the 501(c)3 status.
We need some parents to step forward to help setup this entity and to manage it!
Only then can myself and other members of the staff start the process of writing grant proposals that will have a ligitimate chance of being approved and funded. In this competitive world it is imperative that we all are part of this process, but as a teacher there is only so much we can do.
What sets apart the well-funded successful schools from others is the level of involvement of its parents. Now more than ever we need the parents of the King Drew students to step forward and take the lead on organizing a 501(c)3 for the school.
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